Composite fluid and electrical connector



April 7, 1953 R. E. DARLING COMPOSITE FLUID AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTORFiled Jan. 51, 1950 I'll IN V EN TOR. Rn PH 15 .D/YRL mcdilly- PatentedApr. 7, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMPOSITE FLUID AND -ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR.

Ralph E; Darling, Bethesda, Md.'.

A licationianuary 31, 1950, Serial. No; 141,440

1v claim. I.v

Thepresent invention relates to an improved composite fluid and.electrical. connector or disconnector including separable units eachhaving embodied therein atubular connector for conveying liquid orgaseous fluids, together with electrical connectors'for makinggandbreaking electricalrcircuits thatpass through the composite connector.The-novel connector consists of two. sectional and. separable units,each. havingautomatically coactingmechanical means for uniting orfastening together the alined units, and these unitsare also equippedwith automatically coacting contact terminals, by means of whichtheicircuits'of which they form a part are automatically closed andopened.

The mechanical fastening devices andtheelectrical contacts of theconnector units are cornbined and arranged to retain the units in axialalinement, and the contactsior electrical appliances are employed tohold the units against relative retary movement. For these purposes aplug unit is equipped with a projecting plugfastoner the complementarysocket unit is equipped with a socket fastener; the plugunit is providedwith an electrical plug contact and its socket .unit is'provided with asocket contact therefor;;.the mechanical fastener and the electricalappliances being provided with resilient detents, and arranged inparallelism to insure correct connection, as well as disconnection, ofthe units under a predetermined manually applied force.

The composite connector is composed of a minimum number or" parts thatmay with facility be manufactured of suitable material and at low costof production, and the parts may be assembled with convenience to assurea compactly arranged appliance that is simple in construction andoperation, durable, and reliable and eflicient in the performance of itsfunctions as a connector between axially alined tubes or hoses, and thewires of sections of electrical circuits.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a complete example of aphysical embodiment of my invention in which the parts are combined andarranged in accord with one mode I have designed for the practicalapplication of the principles of my invention. It will however beunderstood that changes and alterations are contemplated and may be madein these exemplitying drawings, and mechanical structures and electricalappliances, within the scope of my claim without departing from theprinciples of the invention.

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a composite connector in whichmy invention is em- 2 bodied. Figure 2 is an inner face view of the plugunit; and Figure 3 is asimilar view of the socket unit.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view in elevation showing the inner side ofa'section of the plug unit; and Figure dis a similar view of the socketunit.

Figure 6 is a further enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a pluralcontact plug and socket electrical connector; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged view partly in section of :one of the singlecontact plug and socket electrical connectors.

As indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3,-the composite connector includes aplugunit A and a socket unit B, each. made up of two complementarysections of suitable non-conducting material, and the. sections of theunits are united or fastened together by suitable clamping means asscrew bolts. I passed. transversely through the sections and providedwith clamping nuts 2.

Thetwo sectional units are fashioned with interior voids, andwithin eachunit is encased and clamped an angularconnector tube or conduit, as 3and 4,. of aluminum or other suitable material,, for passage .of gaseousfluids through the jointed units. Theouter ends of the two units areformed with annular recesses to receive the ends of hose sections, andthese hose sections terminate in smooth sleeves that are slipped intoannular voids of the units that surround the outer ends of the conduitsor tubular connectors 3 and 4.

The inner ends of the tubular connectors or conduits are fashioned asquick-detachable coupling members for jointing together the separableunits, and for this purpose the angular tube 3 of the plug member A isprovided with a projecting tubular plug 5 that is equipped near its freeend with an exterior resilient split coupling ring 6 that forms a springdetent, and the base of the hollow plug is provided with an annularpacking gasket or ring 1.

The adjoining end of the angular tube or conduit 4 of the socket unit Bterminates in an open coupling socket 8 to receive the plug 5 and engagethe gasket 'l, and the socket is formed with an xterior annular rib 9that provides an inner annular groove or seat for the expansible ring orspring detent 6, to form a quick-detachable coupling for the two units.

Four conductors or wires of two electrical circuits are entered from theouter ends of the recessed units into the voids of the units, and ashere shown the two wires of one circuit are attached at opposite ends ofa plural contact 3 member or electrical connector. Within the jointedunits, and the two wires of a second electrical circuit are attached toa pair of spaced single contacts that are mounted within the units, inparallelism with the plane of the alined coupling between the connectortubes or conduits.

As best seen in Fig. 6 the quick-detachable plural contact membersinclude an insulated contact plug in that terminates in a spherical headII, and the plug is encased within an insulating jacket [2 and equippedwith a wire terminal l3. This plug with its jacket is fixed in aconducting sleeve [4 having an integral annular attaching head 15, andthe plug assembly includes a semi-cylindrical or cut-away casing 16, anda terminal I! that projects through another annular attaching head IS.The round and annular heads l5 of the several electrical appliancescoact with depressions forming voids in the sections of the plug andsockets units to retain the electrical plugs and sockets againstdisplacement.

For coaction with the plural electrical terminal plug the socket unit Bis equipped with a semicylindrical conducting shell 18 having spacedannular heads l5, the inner one of which,-together with the shell, formsa socket for the exterior conducting sleeve l4 and the jacketed plug l0,and the outer end of the shell I8 is equipped with a terminal [9complementary to the terminal ll of the plug assembly.

For coaction with the spherical head II of the plug a resilientmulti-blade contact, or spring detent 20 is fastened to an insulatingblock 2| by means of insulated screws 22 to the bottom wall of the shell18, and another terminal 23 is attached to a blade of the spring detent.By coaction of the spring detent with the head ll of the plug assemblythese units of the separable plural terminal connector are fastenedtogether against longitudinal displacement. One of a pair of singlecontact circuit makers is shown in detail in Fig. 7, where theconducting plug or contact member 24 is mounted in the plug unit A ofthe connector and provided with a terminal on the end head l5 asindicated at 25, and a reduced conductor pin 26 of the plug is fashionedwith a spherical contact head 21.

The headed plug of the unit A is inserted into a socket sleeve or shell28 mounted in complementary voids of the socket unit B, and a springconductor blade 29 is fastened by screw 30 on the annular attaching headl5 of the shell 28, so that the outer end 3| of the blade forms acircuit terminal complementary to the terminal 25 of the plug 24. Theinner end of this resilient contact blade is formed as a spring detent32 that projects through a slot in the shell 28 for coaction with theheaded plug 26 to prevent accidental displacement of the parts.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:

In a fluid-conveying and electrical circuitmaking connector, thecombination with a pair of supporting units, an angular connector-tubefixed within each unit with the outer ends of the tubes in axialalinement for end attachment of hose sections, said tubes havingparallel oilset inner ends and intermediate angular portions, the offsetinner ends of the tubes also being in axial alinement and forming aplug-and-socket joint, and a detent-fastener comprising a splitresilient coupling ring on the plug-end coacting with a complementarygroove in the socket-end, of coacting pairs of axially alinedquick-detachable electrical contacts mounted in the units in planesparallel with the axial plane of the coupling joint. 1

RALPH E. DARLING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 469,283 Strauss Feb. 23, 18921,032,295 Politz July 9, 1912 2,067,139 Ehrke Jan. 5, 1937 2,109,511Simon Mar. 1, 1938 2,291,071 Bruno July 28, 1942 2,302,707 Mejean Nov.24, 1942 2,510,125 Meakin June 6, 1950

